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Nearly half of workers interviewed paid agents before getting confirmation of jobs
Three of the eighteen workers interviewed in our straw poll By Wang Ting It is a chilly, drizzly evening. A crowd of people, mostly foreign workers from India and Bangladesh, swamp the registration desk of Transient Workers Count Too's free meal service. There's a lot of talking, making
Epileptic fits after head injury, but no money for medication
"He needs to be around somebody at all hours," says Debbie Fordyce, co-ordinator of TWC2's Cuff Road Project. "The epileptic fit can come at any time, and someone needs to catch him to make sure he doesn't fall and hurt himself." Fortunately, TWC2 has hundreds of workers on our register
What happens when a worker asks for safe working conditions
By Low Guan Hong Having to work without safety equipment is a common problem faced by migrant workers. And when one decided to speak up for his basic right, he paid a hefty price for it. Md Shobuj Mia Md Sulaiman started work in a tentage company as a signalman
Marrying is a far-off dream
By Teo Yi Hui Many people who have not heard Shobuj’s story would be forgiven for assuming that he is just like another of the many young Bangladeshi men in Singapore earning a living and getting on with life. His youthful appearance and smiling countenance betray nothing of the fact
Time elapsed: 31 hours
Medical emergencies require immediate attention, but this shipyard worker endured 31 hours of pain before getting the help that he required. By Cara The first thing you might notice about Thirumoorthi is his serious, almost harsh gaze with an intensity that's emphasised by asymmetrical, bloodshot eyes. I soon learn that
When an injured worker returns home empty-handed
Amran Hossain returned to Bangladesh on 4 Oct 2012, still with a limp, but empty-handed. He did not receive the work injury compensation that was due to him. His experience in Singapore almost broke his spirit. He had come in January 2009 as a construction worker, worked 23 months, but
Both arms broken, worker needs help eating and showering
"Every day I coming," says Liton Hossain, describing how he has to travel after work each evening from his company's dormitory in Sungei Kadut to Desker Road in Little India. It's a journey of some 20 kilometres. "If I no coming, how he shower, how he makan [eat]?" The 'he'
Short-paid workers assert their claims, tell agent they know the law
By Fuxiong Five days after the three of them lodged a salary complaint with the Ministry of Manpower on 1 March 2013, they were summoned to the company office. They were each handed their passports and an airticket back to Bangladesh. Rowshan (at left in picture) protested to the foreman,
“I have worked here for eleven years already, but no day off still”
By Joyce Law and Geng Zhaochong We undertook some outreach for TWC2 recently, which involved talking to foreign domestic workers and finding out more about the challenges they face working in Singapore. Domestic workers play an increasingly important role in Singaporean households today due to the rise in dual-income families:
Invested his savings to land a job – that had neither work nor pay
By Davina Tham Imagine sleeping ten hours a night, watching TV and movies all day, and getting friends to pay for all your meals. Most people would call this heaven. But for Mahmudul Hasan, this was a lifestyle wracked with anxiety and frustration, waiting for the work and the salary